Adam Sandler, Conan O’Brien and more remember the late, great Norm Macdonald

Canadian comedian Norm Macdonald has died. The iconic entertainer, who was born in Quebec City and was raised in Quebec and Ottawa, passed away on September 14 from acute leukemia at age 61. Macdonald is survived by his son Dylan and his older brother Neil Macdonald and sister-in-law Joyce Napier. 

Deadline announced Macdonald’s death on Tuesday, with the site reporting that Macdonald’s management company Brillstein Entertainment confirmed the sad news. “He was most proud of his comedy,” said Macdonald’s long time producing partner Lori Jo Hoekstra, who was with Macdonald at the time of his death. “He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him. Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly.”

Macdonald got his start in comedy in clubs around his native Ottawa, eventually landing a spot in the lineup for Montreal’s Just For Laughs festival and Star Search. One of Macdonald’s earliest Hollywood roles was as a writer for The Dennis Miller Show and later Roseanne, which he later left to join the cast of Saturday Night Live. Macdonald appeared on SNL between 1993 to 1998 and hosted Weekend Update for several seasons, with many future hosts, including Colin Jost and Seth Meyers, citing Macdonald as a major inspiration. 

Macdonald was celebrated for his famous impressions during his time on SNL, including Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, David Letterman and Senator Bob Dole, who shared a picture of himself with Macdonald in character.

Following his work on SNL, Macdonald co-wrote and starred in the film Dirty Work and later reunited with Roseanne actor Laurie Metcalf for three seasons of the sitcom Norm. Macdonald frequently appeared in films beside fellow SNL alum, including Billy Madison, Grown Ups, and Deuce Bigalow. His unmistakable voice kept Macdonald busy with several animated and live action projects, including The Orville, Family Guy and Dr. Dolittle. Many Canadians will likely remember Macdonald’s tenure as Frank the Beaver during a two-year deal with Bell Media that had the comedian lending his voice for an ongoing ad campaign, as well as his short-lived but memorable appearances as Colonel Sanders for KFC.

A tireless entertainer, Macdonald hosted a podcast, a short-lived comedy show on Netflix in 2018 and wrote his memoir in 2016. He continued to tour standup venues in Canada, the US and beyond throughout his career, often helping to guide the career of aspiring comics. In 2015, Macdonald joined the judging panel for the reality series Last Comic Standing.

While Macdonald kept his cancer a secret from fans and most of his friends, in true Norm fashion, he left the world with a brilliant take on ‘battling’ a disease. 

Funny seeing all the headlines about Norm “losing his battle” with cancer when he had a perfect bit about that very framing. pic.twitter.com/2l3ueRPDMX

— Joel Kim Booster (@ihatejoelkim) September 15, 2021

The Canadian comic is being remembered by those closest to him, including many comedians, actors and writers who took inspiration from the fearless comic.

Every one of us loved Norm. Some of the hardest laughs of my life with this man. Most fearless funny original guy we knew. An incredible dad. A great friend. A legend. Love u pal. pic.twitter.com/2Pftw28uPc

— Adam Sandler (@AdamSandler) September 14, 2021

Many of Macdonald’s friends and fans are remembering the comedian for his brilliant appearances on late night television.

Several late night hosts paid homage to Macdonald on Tuesday night, including Seth Meyers. Like Macdonald, Meyers also hosted Weekend Update during his time at SNL and spoke about his constant struggle to not imitate his predecessor, who was one of the greatest to ever sit at the iconic desk. 

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